Time to switch gears.

So, me and my cat Grizwald were sitting around staring at each other one day, when I suddenly had a thought.   It was clever, it was new, it was exciting.  An as of yet undiscovered idea that would change the world of fishing as we know it.  It would be MY CONTRIBUTION!  And Griz must have read my mind, because he took off like a shot and hid under the bed (yeah, like a broom handle can't reach him there...)

See where this is going?

As I would later find out, there are plenty of folks out there who partake in harvesting the fur off their pets for flies. 

A little background info:  Griz is a Maine Coon, or at least 1/2 Maine Coon.  He goes the full 16 pounds (was 18 pounds in his porkier days), and has the long overcoat that hangs to the floor, with a thick underfur.  His color is sort of a brown/slivery gray/black variegated pattern.

Since I moved to the Southwest many moons ago, I've been shaving him on a regular basis, due to the excessive heat.  In the past I've just thrown out all that fantastic dubbing material, which usually is enough in one shaving session to build another cat (if you were the Mad Scientist type).

So, I figured I could dub me up something with that fur and began to experiment with it.  It's similar to hare's mask, a little more silky and dense, but very easy to work with.

I had some fine copper wire for ribbing and some copper bead heads, so I dubbed up a few variations on the Hare's Ear, using hackle, biots and some other things.  In the end, I went with a split tail and wingcase made from black goose biot, copper ribbing and a copper bead head.  Cat fur makes up the body.

And much to my surprise, it catches fish wherever I go.  When nothing else is working, I switch to the Griz Nymph and it produces.  Not really sure why, my theory is that it might not be a common pattern (I know it's not particularly original), so the fish aren't used to it.  Also, I think that it has a profile that stands out well in the water and the dark gray/black coloring produces a strong silhouette, making it highly visible without being "flashy".

Whatever the reason, it was the only pattern that produced on the Colorado and South Platte Rivers when I was there in 2002.  It's caught fish in several lakes and streams in Arizona (it slays the little rainbow stockers on the Salt River), as well as the Methow River in Washington.  I'm sure it would catch more when I head out, but I have a propensity for snapping them off in the surrounding trees and brush.

So, tie up a few and give 'em a try.  You do have a big furry housecat, right?

Any size nymph hook to your liking, though I often just use dry fly hooks, being more Charlatan than Purist.  I generally run sizes 12 - 8.

Copper bead head, appropriately sized

Copper wire for ribbing, appropriately sized

Black goose biots

Black thread

Of course, if you prefer smaller quantities of fur at any given time, you could just brush the critter.  But what's the fun in that?

Once the fur has been removed (neatness doesn't count, as it will probably grow back) and you've applied an anti-bacterial ointment to your wounds, you can begin with the tying procedures.